LIBERTY COUNTY — A man died, Thursday, when he was run over by his own dump truck.
A release from Liberty County Sheriff's Office says that Manuel Gutierrez Rodrigues, 60, of Beaumont was killed Thursday morning when he accidentally fell out of the moving vehicle while trying to swipe an entry card over a card reader.
It appears that Gutierrez was standing on the the gas tank to reach the card reader and was knocked off and fell under the wheels of the truck, which continued moving forward.
From the Liberty County Sheriff's Office...
A sixty year old truck driver identified as Manuel Gutierrez Rodrigues from Beaumont, Texas was killed at about 8:30am this morning when he fell beneath the wheels of his dump truck. According to Liberty County Sheriff’s Lead Investigator Deputy Brad Taylor, Rodriguez was a contract driver and was attempting to enter a security gate at the Trinity Materials Company located at 28125 Hwy. 146 north in order to get a load of sand.
Although there appears to have been no eye witnesses to the accident, Deputy Taylor said that sources told him that it is common practice for incoming drivers to open the door of their truck and stand on the running board or outside gas tank and “swipe” their entry card past the card reader as it is difficult to reach the card reader while sitting in their truck seats.
It appears that Rodriguez was standing on the side tank of his truck with the truck still in gear and slowly moving when he was knocked off the side of the truck by a nearby post and fell under the wheels of the truck where he sustained fatal injuries.
Pct. 3, Justice of the Peace Judge Cody Parrish conducted the inquest at the scene and ordered an autopsy.
